Portugal to Spain #4

Portugal

Again we rented a car for three days and during one of our days out we stopped at a shopping center that had a Primark Store. I had been to one in Scotland and loved it!  Brian is always in search of the elusive denim shirt.  Amazingly, he found two he liked. As sizing is a bit different in Europe he went to try them on. I wandered about the store and then as I approached the dressing room area I see from a distance Brian talking to a woman, but not in the way one would talk to a stranger. It was the women from whom we purchased our French house - Jose Salter and her husband Mervyn! Quelle surprise! They live in England most of the year and winter at their house in Spain. However, this trip they were in Portugal for two weeks staying at a friend’s villa. It was lovely to catch up with them and even discovered that two of our French neighbors were in Portugal too. How remarkable is it that we should be in the same store at the same time over 1200 kms from our respective homes? Simply amazing!

These are yellow flowers everywhere. They close up for the night and in the rain, they are apparently good little seeders.

The Portuguese have a very good school system. Most of the people we have met speak English very well and some speak as many as four languages. Portuguese, which is the 5^th most spoken language in the world, is complicated and developed from the Celtic tribe the Lusitani, Latin, Arabic and from Galicia, now part of Spain. Although some of the written words can be guessed, the spoken words do not necessarily resemble them. To me the accent sounds Russian with a hint of Arabic.

Our fellow campers in order of numbers: Dutch, German, English, Belgian, French and Portuguese with most all of them being able to speak English well. It is unfortunate that the English-speaking world does not fully promote learning a second language early in our education as it can enrich all of our experiences (written by the two of us who struggle later in life to learn french).

We took the coast road north and what magnificent views of the tumultuous sea we encountered.

The next day we drove into the mountains. It was misty but dry as we wound around the hilltop roads occasionally spotting a terraced area. Brian was in his element driving as if he was in a hill rally from his earlier years. I was very impressed how he handled the little Fiat.

Orange tree high in the mountains!

 

Orange Bridge in a valley - only greenery where a river once flowed.

Cork trees were numerous and numbered. We could only surmise what the single digits indicated.  Portugal is a main producer of wine bottle corks.

It was so rainy that…How rainy was is it???

Our neighbors' wash under an umbrella!!!  Hahahaa

The majority of Portuguese houses and buildings are painted white with colored borders but some buildings are even more colorful.

  

Not open for lunch so we had to find another place.

                                                                                                                  

Boulevard in Lagos by the Marina

                                                  

We ate in a little place across from the marina – egg on a hamburger - When in Rome - Brian said it was very tasty 

I located a place to purchase a bedspread for the new bedroom (impossible to buy a good one in France at a reasonable price) and while there I asked the owner about the ease of being in business in Portugal and she replied that is was very difficult. Last year the government had changed the rules, again, and now all of a business's inventory had to be online, all sales were processed online and there was so much paperwork that many small businesses just closed their doors rather than dealing with the changes.  The cost of benefits for a minimum wage employee is 38%. In our business in the U.S. we were paying 28% (which included workers' compensation insurance). It truly is a shame to discourage entrepreneurs from growing their companies and hiring employees who in turn will pay taxes, but sadly it is this way in France as well.

Wild flower

After two weeks it was time to say goodbye to Portugal, to some of the staff who had become friends and to our French, former truck driver, neighbor who spoke English with a Birmingham accent. Everyone was so kind at this beautiful site and it was a shame the weather hadn’t panned out as hoped. It truly is the Rolls Royce of campsites.

A poor family being battered by rain. It was not unusual to see horse drawn wagons.

    Spain February 13        

These are just as big as the Toros

A stop a McDonald’s for WIFI plus lunch.  Soup, salads and the usual fare was served but at much reduced prices than in France.

 Angus patiently waiting, hoping that at least one french fry makes it to back to the camper.

Online I found a campsite not too far away from the border but when we arrived the receptionist rudely stated they were not affiliated with the ACSI and wanted €26 for the night. We have paid only €16 each night so we left that unfriendly place and I located another a bit further on and even though it was a wet sand pit we stayed the evening. 

We set the GPS to Conil de la Frontera and hit GO but, after only one kilometer it was the end of the road for us! Recalculating! Detour! 

We drove through the port city of Sevilla. The bridge over the river has a ‘reversible’ middle lane that changes driving direction as traffic flow demands – very clever.

I read in our campsite book about a place near the sea with terraced pitches and all the amenities.  Perfect!  However,  when we arrived we were told we would have to stay in the area for dog owners and to go find a spot that was not too muddy. At each place we learn something new. The lovely spot in Lagos had been described as “terraced” and it was set up in a way that each layer with 8 spots overlooked the lower terrace. Terraced this time meant the RV would be sitting on a slope sideways, side by side, not really a problem but it was too muddy and sandy. The day was wet, cold, cloudy and windy and we were definitely not happy campers so after a brief heated ‘discussion’ we ventured on to the lovely area of El Puerto de Santa Maria. In the town the GPS took us through some narrow streets and we started to worry that we were not at all heading towards a campground but voila! there it was right across from the ocean. Shortly before we found Las Dunas Camping we passed a not so dense forest of trimmed pine trees. They created a canopy over an undulating  pine needle floor - I thought it was a most beautiful and serene setting. So happy, then were we, that it was within walking distance. Inside the forest park, a young woman was living in a tent, a man on a bike, a family out for a walk, it was all so peaceful.  My photos cannot do justice.

At the edge of the forest was a beach. In the summer months this would be a fabulous area for families

  

During the miles we past beautiful white trees but I have no idea what they are other than ghostly and snowy looking with a light scent.

We rounded the tip of Spain driving in an northeasterly direction and before Algeciras we passed miles and miles of extreme wind farming. 

     

 The blade in Spain falls mainly in your lane

 (by B. Bingham)

Behind Algeciras, a densely built up port, we saw the Rock of Gibraltar. As it belongs to the British there are no signs, no lookout points, nada. It was hazy and this is the best photo I could take. We'll stop there next time.

 





Just outside of Estepona we stayed at a sweet  site, “Parque Tropical,” in amongst its lush landscaping. There is a year round pool and a beach close by.

The coastline between Estepona and where we are, a distance of 125 kms/85 miles, is jam-packed with high rises to the extreme. From the sea to 5 – 10 kms inland up to the highway and then up the sides of the mountains there are 1000’s of apartment buildings. Close to Estepona the buildings were Mediterranean-style with tiled roofs, innovative, beautifully colored and only six storeys tall. But further along and near to the ocean, they were less appealing. Close to and high up in the mountains some were very pretty and a few were mere concrete shells of projects started, never to be finished.

              It is difficult to imagine living in such a concentration of people

 We are now in Torre del Mar a town on the ocean with many quaint, older style high rises and modern hotels but also with a campsite on its edge. It is such a treat to walk into town via the street or the oceanfront paved boardwalk and so far the weather has been perfect!

                         Until next time - buen día